According to a recent economic study by the Brookings Institute, larger companies are aging, while newer companies are living shorter lives, or are not starting up at all. The main cause of this is considered to be a decline in entrepreneurship in the U.S.

BCS in Leawood Kansas (near Overland Park) says that for the job seeker this means that paying attention to the longevity of the hiring company is as important as its offering. In other words, in addition to the compensation, the prospective employee must also consider the long term prospects of the firm.

BCS cautions that this does not mean that younger firms do not have a great deal to offer. On the contrary, the Leawood Kansas firm says that some of the best opportunities are found in smaller and mid-size companies.

While the Brookings study points out how aging firms (those that are 16 years or more) are gaining a larger share of the market, new companies are still emerging offering opportunities for executives and professionals.

BCS is a career services organization often cited for their views on jobs and the job related economy. BCS is in Leawood Kansas (near Overland Park Kansas) and has been providing career related search assistance to executives and professionals.

The July 2014 Jobs Report fell short of expectations, but BCS near Overland Park Kansas says that there is still plenty of opportunity for career professionals who know how to look for a job in today’s market.

The new jobs report shows a weaker than expected gain in new jobs for the nation. According to the executive career professionals at BCS in Leawood Kansas the outlook is not so much down, as it is stagnant.

“The economy is showing signs of strengthening,” says BCS, “but the job market has been slow to respond.

Part of the economic growth reports are due to the quantitative easing that is bolstering the stock market, but the housing market and other economic indicators are showing promise as well. In a down market the job seeker must incorporate different methods, outside of the traditional job boards and trade journals.

Finding a job is not the same today as it was 20 years ago, with one big exception; the ability to cultivate a properly developed network. This is a more critical part of a job search than ever. So where are the jobs? According to BCS, “job seekers that follow a well-designed, aggressive marketing plan that includes multiple avenues of search works best.” They find that their clients are landing jobs by demonstrating a skills match through their marketing efforts; and by increasing the job seekers network of potential employers.

“Finding a management position through the traditional channels of online job boards is very difficult for top talent, as the best jobs are often not advertised, or are created for the job seeker before they are ever made available through any traditional channels,” according to BCS Overland Park spokesperson.

Most experts agree that there is a looming stock market bubble that will eventually burst. Some experts feel that the bubble will last for up to three years from now, due to quantitative easing which supports it.

BCS of Leawood Kansas (BCS Overland Park Kansas) reports that despite this news, employers are still ready to hire and expand. Since the quantitative easing may last up to three years, companies will try to capitalize on the long term value of rising stock values.

BCS is an executive search assistance organization located near Overland Park Kansas, and has been providing career services and job search related marketing programs to executives and professionals for nearly a decade.

Science Technology Engineering and Math related (STEM) jobs now account for more than 10% of all jobs in the U.S. According to the career firm BCS in Leawood Kansas, these jobs are among the highest paying with a median pay of about $66,000 annually.

Stem jobs reportedly take longer to fill than most. This is hard to fathom since there is such a high demand.

BCS in Leawood Kansas (near Overland Park) reports that the reasons are 1) Hiring companies are highly selective due to the increasing number of qualified STEM applicants 2) some STEM specific qualifications are difficult for some HR departments to comprehend, forcing them to bring in the decision maker earlier in the process 3) STEM job applicants while highly technically astute, are not so good at marketing their talents.

According to BCS, “No matter how qualified you are, finding the right job is still a challenge. STEM job applicants know what they are capable of but typically are not good at marketing their skills, and sometimes take longer to land than they should. Not knowing how to reach the decision maker or not knowing what to say when you get there stifles the job seeking process. Likewise they tend to be poor negotiators even though they often have the upper hand in the process.”

BCS says that with tough competition for the more specialized STEM jobs, the job seeker has to get more creative in their approach to the market.

BCS has recently upgraded their database technology to help improve the search process for professionals and to help reduce the time in their search cycle.

BCS providing Executive Search assistance, is located near Overland Park Kansas and has been providing career services and job search marketing programs to executives and professionals for nearly a decade.

The Leawood Kansas Career Firm of BCS follows employment trends and the job market.

While the job market added 288,000 jobs in June 2014, reports indicate that Kansas is behind, but that may not reflect the entire picture.

BCS in Leawood Kansas (near Overland Park) reports, ”The jobs decline across the state is only one-tenth of a percent, and with the recent announcement that Targeted Metrics, a national marketing company will add more than 500 jobs to the Kansas City market means that nearly one-third of that deficit will be depleted.”

Six other Midwest states have shown increases in jobs over the past six months however, it appears that Kansas with its reported addition of 50,000 jobs between 2011 and 2013, has been ahead of the curve with only a recent leveling off of jobs in the past six months. Three of the Midwest states adding jobs in the past six months only showed about one to two percent in job growth.

BCS notes that Kansas reached its highest employment rate in late 2013. “The job market is tough, and has been for some years, even with the growth spurt from 2011 through 2013. BCS feels that the Kansas City area still offers great hope for those who conduct a proactive search, especially in the higher paying senior level, managerial, and professional positions.” According to BCS these positions, although not well advertised, “Hold a great deal of promise for those who know how to create an effective job search strategy, and have the proper tools and support to do so.”

Stocks went up despite the alarming news that the GDP was down by 2.9% for the First Quarter of 2014. Yet, according to Sal Guatieri, a well-respected macro economist of BMO Capital we are far from a recession.

So, how about the job market? What is the outlook for jobs with such bad economic news?

According to the professionals at BCS, the Leawood Kansas career firm (near Overland Park) the job market is also far from a “job” recession. “The weather was the main culprit of the lackluster economy in Q1, affecting retails sales, restaurant sales, car lots and even the housing market,” says BCS. “This was true across the country, and especially true for the Kansas City Metro area.” They went on to reports that the harsh winter also slowed shipping abroad and domestically causing exports to plunge, major influences on the GDP.

According to BCS, “The job market will be largely unaffected by this because businesses recover from this temporary kind of economic glitch. Some employees took a bit of hit due to slower business, store and car lot closings, but the jobs remain and the employees have long since returned.”

The economy overall added 1.1 million jobs since January, due in no small part to the improvement in the economy since March. The Kansas City job market is stable.

BCS is professional career services organization located in Leawood Kansas. They provide direction and career resources to managers, executives and professionals in the Kansas City area.

Last year, BCS in Leawood, KS (near Overland Park) upgraded their resources by adding One Source iSell to their mix. Now One Source has made significant changes to their software suite, making it an even better resource for the Overland Park area firm’s clients. One Source is now Avention.

Avention has added CRUSH reports. These reports may become particularly valuable to the job seeker because of the depth of information leading to corporate decision makers. By reaching these decision makers, and through the implementation of a strategically designed targeted marketing campaign, the job seeker can not only land a job faster, but can very likely find a better match for their skills and preferred work environments. BCS does not yet have access to these reports, however they may be made available in the future as a Premium Upgrade to their existing service later this year.

BCS and their clients will transition to the newer Avention later this year. The new software has thousands of data points that can be applied to companies. The marketplace of information often used by sales professionals also distinctively fits the needs of job hunters.

The Leawood Kansas location for BCS provides free access to every client. Clients who remain active in job search can use the software for the purpose of job search.

BCS is located in Leawood Kansas (near Overland Park). To learn more about BCS, visit their website at http://www.BCSKansas.com.

You can also forward your professional profile along with your resume to BCS via their BCS Kansas website.

Over the weekend Morning Star (Robert Johnson) reported that the labor markets remain tighter than most people might think. Openings have been on the rise, but the available work force is shrinking. Does this make it a “buyer’s market” for the job seeker? Not so, according to BCS.

“The chief culprit of the tight labor market is a skills mismatch. The need to demonstrate transferable skills has never been more important,” according to BCS of Overland Park, Kansas.

Reading the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) there has been a rise in the number of adjusted private job openings. The BLS report shows that the number of unemployed workers per job opening has been on the decline since 2010, getting closer to pre-recession (2008) statistics.

So where are the jobs? According to BCS the job seekers that follow a well-designed, aggressive marketing plan that includes multiple avenues of search works best. They find that their clients are landing jobs by demonstrating a skills match through their marketing efforts; and by increasing the job seekers network of potential employers.

“Finding a higher level position through the traditional channels of online job boards is very difficult for top talent, as the best jobs are often not advertised, or are created for the job seeker before they are ever made available through any traditional channels,” according to BCS Overland Park spokesperson.

The bottom line seems to be that although the market is opening up; but unless you can expand your existing network, locate the better jobs, and demonstrate your abilities, finding a job in this market is still a challenge.

One of the biggest complaints job seekers have is that they don’t feel like their resumes are getting noticed. BCS in Overland Park Kansas feels that their new service will put an end to those concerns. BCS is adding web portfolios to their arsenal of tools to help their clients reach out to employers and get noticed.

A web portfolio is specifically designed to help the job seeker get the attention of the hiring decision-maker with better information; and in a more concise and understandable format. The executive web portfolio can be used to help elevate your interaction during a telephone or one on one interview to give employers or recruiters an in-depth display of your core strengths, skills inventory, experience, career history, and value proposition.

A Career Marketing professional (not a web designer) will work with you to build a dynamic online visually captivating presentation of a candidate’s career credentials on the Internet, showcasing your skills and highlighting your achievements. “The web portfolio is supercharged with powerful graphics, distinguishes the candidate from the competition, and strengthens your job search and networking activities.”

The web portfolio concept has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, ExecuNet and other online news sources as the new way to get the kind of attention that leads to a job in an increasingly difficult market.

BCS added that there are other major elements to a job search. Identifying and targeting alternative industries; building a resume focuses on achievements, rather than industry specific experience; and developing heightened interview skills through researching new industry objectives. “You demonstrate one of two things by the way you interview,” says the team at BCS, “You either establish your knowledge and interest in an industry, or your lack of familiarity and awareness. Decision makers are impressed when an industry outsider has obviously done their homework, and conduct an intelligent interview.”

To learn more about BCS in Overland Park, KS visit their website at www.bcskansas.com.

BCS the Overland Park Kansas career firm has seen an improvement
in job placement success among their clients in the fourth quarter of 2011,
surpassing any previous second quarter results going back to 2007 when they
first started keeping records.